Description

An admitted shoe geek waxes philosophical about running, triathlon, and life in general.
Comments welcome!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Trying on the Altra Superior

This
past weekend I had a chance to get my hands (and feet) on a pair of
Altra Superior trail running shoes. And I've gotta say, they're
everything I was expecting, and more.

The day started with 2
hours on the stationary bike, then shower, breakfast, and bundling up to
spend a couple hours honoring our veterans at a parade. Then on the
road to my old bike shop to tie up a couple loose ends, lunch, and then a
stop by The Balance Athlete (I had called ahead to make sure they had
the shoes).

Picking the shoe up, it feels lighter than the Instinct, though not
racing-flat light like the Skechers Go Run. But this shoe isn't meant to
be that light. It's a pared-down version of the Lone Peak, and I think
they've made something that will, at least for the trails in the Pacific
Northwest, work every bit as well if not better than their beefier
offering.

The fit is very much like the other Altra shoes -- snug in the rearfoot,
where it's supposed to be, and free in the forefoot, where it's
supposed to be. Toe room is ample, nothing pushing anything in the wrong
direction. The collar feels more cushy than the Instinct, but doesn't
feel like it's giving up a secure fit.

For some reason I had envisioned the rock plate similar to that used in
other shoes -- a piece of plastic in the forefoot making the shoe stiff.
Even when some one asked me about a "negative drop" feeling when trying
on the Superiors, I had answered that maybe removing the rock plate
would help (it did, but not for any reason I had thought). I really had
no idea what the rock plate looked like... I figured it was attached to a
full-length insole that was removable. I was surprised to see that it
is a full-length insole-like plastic insert, separate from the "Contour"
insole. My shoe-geekness is slipping! Underneath the Contour insole and
the rock plate is the flat "Strengthen" insole sewn in.

I put the shoes on (going up a half-size -- the Superiors run slightly
small compared to the Instinct) with the Contour insole and rock plate
in place, trotted around the store, and just grinned. My Instincts have a
lot of miles on them, and they're finally getting to where I need to
retire them from active duty (at about 18 months). These felt even
better than those shoes did when new.

But I did leave the store without buying the shoes.

I know, it was difficult. But I was reminded that Christmas is just around the bend, and I DO have a lot of shoes...

Ever since a hike with my wife this past August, I've been planning on
doing a long (for me) run/hike circumnavigation of the Crystal Mountain
basin next summer, and have been giving some thought to which shoes I'd
wear for such a day-long excursion. I wore Merrell Trail Gloves that
day, but if the terrain had been more severe, I'd have wanted something
more. I think the Superior is just the ticket for a day like I have
planned -- long, mix of running and hiking, trails and rocks...

About Me

I’ve been running since I was in jr high in the late 70’s, and added triathlon in 1984. The sports have changed a lot since, but I see a lot of “returning to its roots" happening in the running world. Along with it, I’m rediscovering a lot of the child-like wonder of beginning all over again. I’ve always been very free with sharing any experience I've gained, whether it’s work related or athletic related. And I’ve continued that with my online interactions.

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